Tulipano Bianco
by chocolafied
Summary: Sofia has a history with white tulips, and when she meets Ezio, she decides that maybe he's the person she wants them from.


**So I'm still writing stories for these two...yeah, I can't help it...^^; (These two need more love!) Let me know what you guys think? :'D**

* * *

Sofia's favorite flower when she had been a small girl was the white tulip. Her first crush gave her one when they were both five and love was innocent. He was a small Venetian boy, she remembered, with brown hair and eyes. He was very kind to her, but the world made him cruel as they both grew up. Love was not as innocent as one aged, she quickly discovered. Knowledge was safer than emotion.

When Sofia reached higher levels of education, she kept to herself. The various books that she carried became her companions as she traversed between classes and throughout the day. Although she re-read some of these books about four or five times now, she hoped that there would be something that she missed the last time she read it. Sofia always liked puzzles and mysteries, just as much as she liked history.

Stories of how Constantinople fell to the Turks, how Rome and Greece were governed, the mysteries of ancient artifacts and civilizations that were left behind, almost begging to be discovered and utilized once more; Sofia felt as that was her life purpose. Her heart would swell when she felt like she was onto something, nearing an explanation as to what happened, why something happened, why things are the way they are now. Her father fueled her passion for learning while her mother taught her how to be a lady, both grooming her for potential husbands, all of which she turned away and went back to her pile of books and maps.

Sofia was right when she said that she felt like she would always return to the city of Constantinople, now being called "Istanbul" by the locals. Though she had been to many locations and countries, eager to learn, the city beckoned her and she answered its call when she turned thirty two. She left every once in a while to collect new materials for her book shop that was currently where the old Polo trading post was.

It felt good to be back, she had to admit. The wealth of new knowledge that she had gained had greatly boosted her mood and the new books she had acquired seemed to have been gold themselves. With a breath, part of her tension went away and she gave a small smile. Sofia's grip on the parcels and books only tightened as the ship sailed into port.

* * *

Sofia had been in her shop for less than an hour when she heard the front door open and heavy footsteps head down the carpeted stairs. Sofia inwardly groaned at the clutter about her store; books piled high on the edges of tables and shelves, scrolls that were splayed out on tabletops…the mess was a bit embarrassing to say the least. Nonetheless, the Venetian smiled, books clutched loosely to her chest as she picked them up and began walking past him and heading to her desk.

"Buon Giorno! Merhaba! Please, come in!" the butterflies in her stomach returned as she strolled by the possible customer. She put the stack of books on the nearest clutter-free surface and kept walking towards her desk. Sofia spared a glance over her shoulder at the mystery man, his apparel instantly raising her curiosity. She didn't know whether to feel intrigued or nervous by this.

A stack of books fell over as she walked past her desk. She inwardly groaned once more as she was reminded of where she was and how cluttered it was. "Ah! Excuse the clutter. I have not had time to tidy up since my trip." What surprised her was that as she was picking up the books on the floor, the man helped her with the last one, gently handing it to her. She now could tell that he was much older than she was, at least in his late forties by the small wrinkles by his eyes and on his forehead. His eyes, however, seemed to be unfazed by age as they twinkled with childish amusement.

"You sailed from Rhodes, no?" his question took her by surprise. Sofia knew right away he was Italian by his thick accent. She blinked at him, eyebrows coming together slightly.

"Si… how did you know?"

She saw the corner of the man's lips quirk up into a smirk, the scar on his lips becoming more apparent. "We were on the same ship," he answered, standing up with her. "I am Ezio Auditore." Ezio nodded his head down and then looked back up at the red-head. Sofia raised an eyebrow softly and clutched her books slightly tighter to her chest.

"Sofia Sartor…" She was a bit unwary at the moment since he seemed to have known her beforehand, though she had never seen him before. "Have we met?"

Ezio smiled politely, eyebrows rising slightly. "We have now." He stared at her for a second more than she was comfortable with and looked away, eyeing the entirety of the room. "May I have a look around?" Ezio's hand rose to point to the walls, emphasizing his point.

Sofia mentally breathed a sigh of relief. "Prego." She set the books down on the desk and made her way to her seat, pointing towards the back of the shop. "Most of my best tomes are in the back."

The man nodded once more. "Grazie."

Sofia pulled out her quill and ink and grabbed one of the pieces of paper on her desk before she began to write. "It is nice to have another Italian in this district." She couldn't help but say. "Most keep to the Venetian Quarter and Galata." She could practically hear the smile on his face widen.

"Altrettanto." Ezio looked up at the bookshelves that were up the stairs. "I assumed that the Ottoman war with Venezia would have driven most of you away."

Sofia eyed him until he finished his sentence before she went back to writing. "I lived here with my parents when I was a girl." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ezio look down at her again. "The war pushed us out, but I always knew I would return." She couldn't help but smile as the last words came out of her mouth. As she looked up, Ezio was making his way up the small stairs and delving further into the shop.

* * *

She eyed the clock, the pendulum swinging gracefully to and fro as it kept time with its hands. It had been a half an hour since she had met Ezio, and he was being awfully quiet in the back of the shop. Absentmindedly, she set the quill onto the desk and began heading to the back of the shop.

Sofia found Ezio picking some sort of lock in a wall. "Have you found anything interesting?" she took an uneasy step towards him when the wall began rising. Her eyes threatened to bulge out as she took quick steps to join up with the man. "Mio Dio! Who put that there?" When the door was high enough, she bent down and tried to see if she could see further into the dark tunnel. "Incredibile…" Sofia then remembered that Ezio was standing next to her and shook her head as she looked up at him, baffled to say the least. "Where does it lead?"

"Why don't we find out?" he was still staring down into the tunnel for another moment before he looked up at her, lips forming a crooked smirk and eyes shining under his hood. She saw his smirk grow when her eyebrows knitted together.

"…Who are you, messere?"

Ezio took a step towards her, smirk growing even more. "Only the most interesting man in your life."

She laughed and rolled her eyes, heat rushing to her cheeks. "Che presuntoso!" The older man sighed lightly before his hands came up.

"A presto, Sofia. I will return in a moment." He turned away and Sofia watched him as he disappeared into the pitch blackness of the tunnel.

* * *

It had been a few hours since Ezio disappeared down into the tunnel and Sofia decided after a bit of worrying to bury herself in one of the new books she had purchased. She barely noticed that time had flown by until she heard the same distinct set of heavy footprints coming down the main steps of her shop. A smile came over her before she even looked up, gently closing the book and walking up to him. "Salve, Ezio. That took some time." Her smile grew when she saw him without his hood on and noticed the rolled up and worn paper in his hand. "What did you find?"

He held up the map, a playful smirk and eyebrows rising as he held up the map. "Something that may interest you." She followed him over to the desk and watched him unroll the parchment. The beauty of the map made her eyes lit up. Sofia was breathless for a moment.

"Mio Dio, che meraviglia!" Her finger then flew to the large emblem on the map when she recognized it. "And here is my shop!" She didn't remember being this happy in a long time. Sofia looked up at Ezio, who nodded towards the map.

"Look at the margins."

And so she did. Her face contorted in unfamiliarity. "Strange symbols…" Sofia felt her confidence come back when she recognized something else, however. "And these are titles of books…" Her excitement kept growing. "Rare books! A few of these have not been seen for more than a millennium!"

Once again, she looked back up at Ezio. "Niccolo Polo hid these books around the city." He gestured towards the map on the table. "This map should tell us where."

She smiled at the hinted challenge he was presenting towards her, faking contemplation for a moment. "Hmm, you're beginning to interest me. Vaguely!" Inwardly, she was screaming that she even said that, but she caught herself at the very end and decided to move to his other side to examine the map some more. Ezio closed the distance, however, taking a few steps closer to her with a small smirk on his face.

"From what I can tell, I need to find these three books first." He pointed to the map and her gaze followed his finger before she looked back up at him. "They may contain clues to find the rest of these," Sofia watched as he pulled out a glowing disc with symbols on it. She swallowed as her head began spinning from what she was getting herself into. The mystery excited her more though, making her forget about the fear that was radiating off of the whole puzzle.

"…Molto curioso…"

"Another was found beneath Topkapi Palace, but there is still time to reach the others." Ezio's voice broke through her spinning head and made her look back up at him.

Sofia raised her eyebrows. "Found by whom?"

Ezio looked down and then back up at her. "Men who do not read." He looked into her eyes for a moment. "Sofia," His eyes then wandered down to the map. "Can you decipher this map?" She looked down at the map again before looking back up at the man, who was making eye contact with her. "Help me find these books?"

She had already decided a few minutes ago that she was on the case. Her hands went to her hips as she gave him a smirk. "Can I borrow them when you are finished?" Her smile grew and her eyebrow went up when she saw the smirk from before return on his face.

"We will work something out." He never broke eye contact with hers as he stared a moment more, like last time. Ezio smiled more, almost endearingly. Sofia found herself welcoming his warm stare, this time. She kept her eyes on him until he turned and left for the door, now looking at the map. When he left, she sat down in her seat and got to work. Sofia wondered for a moment if this would lead to something more, as foolish as it sounded.

* * *

It was about an eventful week or so later when she was up to deciphering the map to locate the final book. The time, during which had been charming and yet unusual all the same. Ezio had just happened to be at the right place and time to drive away that rat and send him screaming and running for his life…what was his name? Dutchio, Deccio? Nonetheless, he would never bother her again.

He had miraculously found the painting that had been stolen from her the night before, afterwards joking about how he liked "the original" better than the painting itself. Ezio Auditore was a tease, she had decided. Especially when he avoided telling her his purpose in this "book-hunt" he was going in for those weird disks. Sofia knew it was less than likely he was with the church, but it was worth a shot. She found it more believable than him claiming to be "a teacher of a kind".

Sofia had to laugh at how funny Ezio looked when he popped up around her at the most random of times, such as while she was shopping in the local markets, when he happened to be "passing by" and others, not excluding his nighttime visits where he would break in using the window most of the time and nearly spill over a pile of books that were on her dresser. He smiled at her so affectionately and his looks towards her were so loving; something that Sofia had only seen from her father when she was younger. And as nervous as that made her, it made her think that maybe ancient books and maps for mysteries weren't the only things she should busy herself with.

Her attention immediately went to the man sitting across the way from her, busy reading one of the various poems she showed him. Ezio usually wore his hood down around her now, something that she had secretly grown to appreciate. She loved admiring his eyes, and the way they were currently focused on the poem he was reading. Mentally, she giggled a little bit as the smile spread itself across her mouth. "Enjoying the poem?"

His hand went from the page to the leather binding on the outside as he took one last look at the words before closing the book. "Who were these men that he condemned to Hell?"

Sofia's grip on her quill loosened as she looked down at the desk for a moment before looking back up at Ezio. "Political opponents, men who wronged him. Alighieri's quill cuts deeply, no?" She saw him stare at her as she answered him and saw him nodding his head slowly as he understood.

"Si…" Ezio began standing up, hands sliding to his knees. "It is a subtle way to seek revenge." Sofia set the quill down onto the table, taking a deep sigh. She had been longing to ask him to travel with her for a while, but he was always popping in expectantly, always running off on an errand, and while she understood that, she couldn't help but fear his rejection. Her first childhood love had casted her aside when they grew older. And as immature as it had seemed, she feared a repeat of the past.

But she knew, it was now or never. And the words began flowing from her mouth before she could stop herself from talking. "Ezio, I plan to make a trip to Adrianopoli," She felt her voice begin catching in her throat as he began walking towards her desk, resting his hands on the surface. "in a few weeks to visit a new printing press there."

After a second, he replied, shrugging almost as he looked down at the carpeted floor and then back at Sofia. "That…should be fun."

"It is a five or six day trip from here…and I will need an escort…" She saw the frown of confusion on his face crawl its way forward for her to see.

"Prego?"

She felt a pang of rejection in her chest and pursed her lips for a brief moment before sighing. "Oh, I am sorry. You are a busy man…" she got up and began looking through the papers on her desk aimlessly.

"Sofia…" she froze when she heard the sympathetic tone in Ezio's voice. It made her look up at him as much as she didn't want to. "I would _love_ to accompany you, but…my time is running short."

"That is true for all of us…" she studied his face for a moment before looking down at the pile of papers once more, a thought of the young boy from so long ago crossing her mind. Sofia had been told she acted more on impulse than on rationality, though as knowledgeable as she was. She knew it was unlikely for him to come back to Constantinople just for her, so maybe creating one more memory with him wasn't entirely out of the question, especially after all he's done for her. "Well, I can try to solve this last code now, but I need to run an errand before sundown. Can you wait a day?"

As she had hoped, he took a few steps closer and asked "What do you need?" without much hesitation.

"It is silly, but..." she almost wanted to laugh at how pathetic this was. "A bouquet of flowers. White tulips, specifically."

Her heart rate doubled when she heard his reply. "I can get you the flowers. Nessun problema." The smile on his face made this all seem too good to be true. She couldn't hide hers as she leaned closer to him and raised her eyebrows.

"Are you sure?"

His smile didn't waver as he looked away. "It would be a nice change of pace." Sofia felt her cheeks flush ever so slightly when he looked back at her with those warm hazel eyes of his.

"Bene." She tilted her head to the side and then remembered that she was surprising him. Her smile faded as she continued talking. "Meet me in the park East of Ayasofia and we will trade; Flowers for information."

Sofia watched him bow his head lightly as he waltzed towards the front door of the shop. After watching him leave, she went to her desk and knelt, picking up the vase of white tulips that she had bought earlier in the day and placed them back at the edge of her desk before grabbing her picnic basket from the back of the store.

* * *

The horizon was becoming more of a golden color when she saw Ezio approach. Though his face was covered by his hood, she fought the urge to laugh at the expression that was probably on his face. "What is this?"

"A gift!" Sofia bit her lip lightly when Ezio looked at her. She gestured to the empty spot next to him and looked away before she gave in to the desire of laughing at that moment. "Sit."

She watched him as he sat down and lounged back, leaning on his arm as he pulled out the tulips and handed them to her. Sofia's face lit up as a child would from receiving a toy when she saw the tulips. "Che belli, grazie!" She sniffed them lightly as he lowered his hood with the same hand he gave her the bouquet with. "I wanted to thank you for letting me play a small role in your adventure," she confessed.

"A small role is enough for this adventure, believe me." She laughed when she saw the smile on his face, feeling more at ease now as another confession left her mouth. "You are a mystery, Ezio Auditore." Sofia shook her head lightly in a teasing way. Ezio placed a hand on his chest as he looked up at her.

"Mi dispiache. I do not mean to be." Sofia sighed lightly at the words, feeling nostalgic as she placed the flowers down delicately on the blanket.

"It is fine." She paused, voice low as she looked up at him. "È affascinante." Sofia pursed her lips lightly when she saw him look back at her with a surprise face with his eyes wide and brow high. He looked at the food before them briefly before looking back at her and then back at their meal.

"Sembra squisito." He smiled, gesturing towards the food with his hand.

"Why thank you." She smiled; looking at him and seeing his face soften as if he remembered something. "…Any luck with the final code."

"Ah, the code, si." She let a wide smile break out, not holding anything back about her plan. "I solved it many hours ago. You will get it soon enough." Sofia looked at him once more, seeing the mental processing in his eyes. After a moment, he chuckled and shook his head. She blinked at him with a skeptical look. "Perché ridi?

"Forgive me, Sofia, but you are a very interesting woman."

"How so?"

"You asked me to fetch you white tulips while you sit right next to them."

Sofia giggled at this. "Are you mad at me, Ezio?"

He stared at her, blinking his young eyes while his mouth hung open for a moment. He sighed and chuckled once more.

"No, I am not." Ezio smiled up at her lovingly. Sofia felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she returned the gesture, leaning over and planting a chaste kiss on his forehead before pouring herself and Ezio a glass of wine. And as she tapped her goblet against his lightly and took her first sip, she knew she found love again.

* * *

_Buon Giorno - _Good day (Italian)

_ Merhaba - _Hello (Turkish)

_Si - _Yes

_Prego - _Please_/_Pardon/What

_Grazie - _Thank you

_Altrettanto - _Likewise

_Mio Dio_ - My God

_Incredibile - _Incredible

_Messere - _Mister

_Che presuntoso - _Go bury your head

_A presto_ - Goodbye

_Salve - _Hello

_che meraviglia - _It's beautiful

_Molto curioso - _Very Curious

_Ayasofia_ - Hagia Sophia

_Che belli_ - These are nice

_Mi dispiache_ - I am sorry

_È affascinante_ - It is attractive

_Sembra squisito_ - Looks delicious

_Perché ridi?_ - Why are you laughing?


End file.
